Anew studypublished in the American Journal of Preventive Medicinefindsthat
public health messages on Facebook can help encourage teenagers on the
social media site to make healthier sexual choices, like using condoms.
In light of other studies that find parents arefailing to effectively communicateabout sexual health with their teens — coupled with the woefullack of comprehensive sexual educationin high school classroomsacross the country— social media tools may be the best avenue to reach young adults with medically accurate information about sexuality.

Over 1,500 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 participated in forthe University of Colorado study,
which split participants into two groups on Facebook. One group ‘liked’
a sexual health Facebook page called Just/Us that shared information
about STI testing and condom use, while the other subscribed to a page
that provided general news items. When the researchers surveyed the
participants two months later, they found that 68 percent of those who
were receiving sexual health information from the Just/Us page reported
they used condoms during their last sexual experience — over ten points
higher than the young adults who weren’t subscribed to that group, for
whom the condom use rate was just 56 percent.

Dr. Elizabeth Schroeder, who runs asexual health websitefor
teenagers that includes resources on topics ranging from birth control
methods to locating health clinics, told ThinkProgress that the study’s
results reflect the fact that “using social media to reach young people
is absolutely brilliant.” As Schroeder explained, “You have to go where
the clients are in order to reach them effectively. [...] And social
media is where young people hang out.”

However,
the effects from the study were relatively short-lived. After six
months, participants resumed their sexual behavior as normal and
researchers stopped registering any additional impact from Facebook for
the group subscribed to the Just/Us page. Schroeder pointed out that,
while social media tools do help “make health advocates relevant and
important to young people,” tactics for engaging youth must constantly
evolve to ensure their attention doesn’t drop off.

“First,
you have to keep the discussion going, and you need to keep it fresh,”
Scroeder told ThinkProgress. “You can’t hope that it will maintain
itself on Facebook or Twitter — you have to constantly change it up,
switch up the format, and keep young people interested. Try a video chat
or an online forum.”

RH Reality Check points outthat
texting is yet another tool that some medical professionals are using
to connect with teenagers on sexual health issues, since texts can help
remind teens to schedule appointments for STI testing or start
conversations about alcohol and sexuality they may not feel comfortable
bringing up in front of their parents. Certainly, in a society that has
neglected toadequately educate young adultsabout thetools they needto
ensure healthy sexual practices, new technologies may be teenagers’
best source of information when their parents and their classrooms
continue to fall short.